Labour respond to the Queen’s Speech

Ivan Lewis MP and Baroness Kinnock respond strongly to the government’s omission of legalisation to enshrine the UK’s commitment to reach 0.7% aid.

Ivan said;

The Government’s failure to include the 0.7% aid commitment in legislation in the first Queen’s Speech breached a clear Tory manifesto commitment and a key element of the coalition agreement. Their failure to include it in this second Queen’s Speech is not only a broken promise, but represents something far more significant—a Prime Minister weakened by the omnishambles of recent months with no authority to change his party and a Chancellor pandering to the right, always with an eye to the succession. Development policy should not be used as a dividing line for internal ideological battles in the Tory party; it is too important for that. Will the Secretary of State now confirm when the Government will bring forward the legislation and whether there will be full Government support and co-operation for any private Member’s Bill that seeks to enshrine the 0.7% commitment in law?

And Glenys told the House of Lords;

Andrew Mitchell said not long ago “On the whole politicians should do what they say they are going to do” and he confirmed that legislation would take the 0.7% commitment “beyond doubt”. I agree with him. So let’s do it.

You can read Ivan’s speech in full here and Glenys’ remarks here.